The Off Days
by YoBeezy
Summary: Portraits of the Akatsuki in-between missions and their almost-friendships with one another.
1. Itachi and Kisame

**A/N:** This is going to be a five chapters series with each chapter focusing on a different Akatsuki partnership. The chapters will be, for the most part, stand-alone, but every chapter revolves around the same day. So whatever character interactions happen in one chapter will be evident in all chapters.

They will be presented in this order: Itachi/Kisame, Hidan/Kakuzu, Sasori/Deidara, Tobi/Zetsu, Pain/Konan. All are non-romantic.

I just sort of wanted to explore the various degrees of friendships among each pairing and how they might spend their free time. The next chapter should be out in about a week. I'm not very familiar with writing most of these characters so any feedback would be great! I hope you like it xo

* * *

 _Portraits of the Akatsuki in-between missions and their almost-friendships with one another._

* * *

Itachi and Kisame

* * *

Itachi's chamber was small and dimly lit, even during daylight hours. There was a small rectangular window set crudely into the rock near the ceiling, but the light that filtered in was so weak the most it did was illuminate the dust that drifted about. But for now, at 5:45 in the morning, it was just bright enough to allow Itachi to work comfortably.

The Uchiha sat at a small desk. It was by no means of quality, the Akatsuki shifted from place to place so often that he was pleasantly surprised to even find a desk in his room in the first place. It had been considerate of Pain, to say the least. Itachi picked up one vial of many that were in front of him and squinted at the label. It had been harder and harder to make such small fonts out, the dim light didn't help but his failing eyes were the primary issue. He made a small noise of frustration and set the vial down, he really couldn't afford to make any mistakes here. Itachi wore a small bag on his hip and he reached into it and pulled out a pair of thin wire glasses. He never wore them in front of other people, his eyes were his biggest weapon and if people knew how blind he was going, well, it wouldn't be favorable for him.

He picked the vial back up and read the label easily this time. With the accuracy and ease of someone who had done this too many times to count, he opened a syringe and stuck it into the upside-down vial, watching as the pale liquid filled the syringe midway. A poke and then onto the next thing.

By the time 6:30 rolled around he had finished with his daily medication rituals, feeling somewhat hazy and fatigued, he was thankful for having a full day to himself with no chores or menial tasks to further tire him out. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but this place was killing him. Quite literally. He stretched and blinked up at the light. They had settled down in some forest right outside of a small shipping village and today, he thought, was as good a day as any to leave the hideout and pretend to live a somewhat normal life.

Standing up, he headed towards the door to his room, stopping just once to hastily pluck the glasses from his face and store them back into his hip pouch before stepping out into the hall. Most of the other members woke early too, though some like Deidara and Hidan could sleep until noon if they really wanted to. Itachi was relieved to find the common area of the base mostly empty, with the exception being Kakuzu who sat on a ratty couch leafing through a bingo book. He glanced up and grunted in acknowledgement as Itachi walked into the room. That was as far as their interactions went and Itachi appreciated it. Amongst these people, an interaction as simple as that was difficult to find. He never thought he'd live out the rest of his days surrounded by roommates, roommates who were violent, loud S-rank criminals no less. But he figured he wasn't much better so it wasn't worth fretting over.

Itachi quietly rummaged through the cabinets and fridge, they were running low on food but that was something taken care of by someone else. He wasn't quite sure who was doing it, though he had his suspicions, food just sort of reappeared when it needed to. They still had a carton of eggs though and plenty of rice and that would do just fine. As he prepared everything he needed to at a slow and patient pace, a loud yawn broke the silence he had really been enjoying.

"Oh man, what time is it?" Hidan came padding out from the hall with his pants slung low, scratching lazily at his bare chest. He looked over at his partner who didn't bother with acknowledgments. "Eh, Kakuzu? I thought you said you had business to attend to today, why are you still here?"

"Why," the other growled, "do you ask such pointless questions?" Kakuzu kept his focus on the page, scrawling something in pencil. Hidan rolled his eyes and turned towards the kitchen where Itachi was cooking.

"Are you making breakfast? I mean, since you're already there…" Hidan laughed nervously. Itachi gave a small sigh to himself and then half-turned to look over his shoulder.

"Fine," he said and then redirected his eyes back to the hall entrance where a slow and unsteady blonde wobbled out. "And what about you, are you eating too?"

Deidara looked up sleepily, "huh?" When he found Itachi staring at him blankly, a sour expression took over his features. "I can make my own food, thanks," he said rather rudely before plopping himself down on the couch. Itachi knew Deidara wasn't too fond of him and he had half expected the answer anyway, he turned back to the old stove, unfazed.

When he was finished cooking, he separated the food onto two plates and set them down on the table, one for him and the other in front of the jabbering Hidan. He ate quietly, making small hums and giving nods as Hidan carried on, seemingly unbothered by Itachi's obvious disinterest. When he finished, he wordlessly stood, washed his dishes and then went back to his room. By this point, an argument had broken out between Kakuzu and Hidan with Deidara goading them on, Itachi didn't need to stick around to know how that would end.

Itachi's days off missions were, to most, rather boring. He spent a lot of his time alone or in the company of Kisame when the two managed to be in the same place. He never said much, looked unapproachable at most times, and seemed to move much slower than usual, as if the week's work had taken some kind of toll on him. He had long since passed the point where he tried to hide his fatigue. If he didn't take his quieter days to recoup, his missions would suffer for it. And today was going to be no different, his body ached, his eyes felt more bleary than usual, and the darkness of the base was making him feel a little on edge. He needed calm.

Whenever Itachi wasn't on official Akatsuki business, he left his cloak off. Maybe it made him feel a little better, he didn't quite know and he didn't push the issue. With his cloak left at home, Itachi walked away from the base with his hands in his pockets. It was a clear Spring's day, the morning air was crisp and bright, and among the towering trees and fragrant blooms he could almost imagine he was walking through Konoha.

The land they were staying in was resting on the banks of a long shoreline. The shipping village specialized in trade and was for the most part pretty quiet. Its occupants were a mix of labor workers who were either too tired or too busy to care about strangers or store owners banking on tourism, always excited to see an unfamiliar face. All in all, this was one of the nicer places they had bunkered down in.

Itachi was heading towards one of the docks just five miles out, they'd passed by it when they'd arrived and he had felt a slight nostalgia wash over him. He just wanted to sit on it and look at the water is all. But he barely made it to the edge of the forest when a chirping sound near his feet made him stop. In the path was a small nestling, its baby down puffed and frightened and its chirping erratic. Itachi looked up at the nest in the low boughs of the tree and then back at the small thing helpless and injured on the ground. Of all the skills Itachi possessed, medical ninjutsu must have been his weakest. He had book knowledge on a lot of it, having been treating himself for years now, it was important to learn. When it came to practical use in battle however, he could admit he was unreliable. But this was a bird, not a battlefield. He gently picked the bird from the ground and cupped it in his palm, placing his other hand on top as a soft green glow radiated from them. When he took his palm away, the small bird stood up, alight with new energy. It chirped at him and he lifted it back to its nest where it joined the rest of the chicks.

Itachi watched them for a minute before turning away and continuing onto the path ahead.

* * *

Kisame didn't exactly look forward to his time off in-between missions like the other members did. As long as he had a decent sleep in-between movements he was fine to keep going. More than fine, actually. He quite liked the non-stop flow of work and achievement, it made him feel like he was constantly improving himself and in some ways, really getting to know himself.

It was for this reason that he had been awake since 4:00 in the morning, leaving early to go meditate and then train for a few hours. It was something he did every break, not wanting to lose any edge in the event he had to fight or defend himself without warning. It was around 10:00 when he finally decided he'd had enough. With the rest of his day, he thought, he'd go to the water and spend his time there, feeling a need for something familiar and that he'd earned some personal time.

When he got back to the base he found it empty and he was half tempted just to lounge around in the quiet, feeling as if he almost never had time in his living space to himself. But the pull of the ocean won him over and he left to shower. When he finished, he went back to his room, a small space with just a bed and a side table stacked with three books. Kisame had never had many hobbies. He was simple like that, he liked to fight, liked to learn, and liked to win. But recently, with the lull of missions while planning was underway, he had more free time than he'd like. So naturally, he'd taken up a new hobby. He picked up the books and began leafing through them, it had been some time since he'd read before recently starting again, but now that he was finding more interesting material, he found it satisfying reading several at once. Finally settling on the second book, a book about old world philosophies, he placed it into the small bag at his back and left the room.

The idea was to pack a lunch and then leave for the day, maybe he'd even sleep somewhere outside that night if it was nice enough. When he stepped from the hall, two figures turned towards him and stopped talking.

"What are you two up to?" Kisame asked with a grin, looking at Tobi and Zetsu who had been engaged in a hushed but intense sounding conversation. Tobi laughed and waved his hand about in an attempt to brush away the suspicion.

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing," he motioned towards Zetsu who watched on quietly. "I'm just trying to convince Zetsu to let me go plant a garden outside-"

 _"We won't be here long enough Tobi, you'd be better off spending your time more meaningfully,"_ White Zetsu interrupted calmly, as if this wasn't the first time he'd said it. Tobi whipped around and opened his arms in exasperation.

"I _told_ you, they sell grown plants at the store, and Leader hasn't said yet when we'll be leaving here. Besides, I really like it here, I hope we stay for a while. What do you think Kisame?" He asked, twisting back around. The tall ninja blinked and then faced back towards the fridge.

" _ **He thinks it's a waste of time,"**_ Black Zetsu said impatiently. Kisame turned to look back at Tobi who was still waiting for an answer.

"I think that'd be nice," he shrugged, merely to disagree with Black Zetsu. He never did like him much, but Tobi he might have had a small soft spot for.

" _Well if Kisame thinks it's okay, I don't see any harm in it."_ Tobi was thrilled, much to Black Zetsu's disdain. The conversation between the two moved to another room and Kisame found himself back in sweet silence. Within this, he made himself a large batch of onigiri which he packed in the bag with his book and then set out the door.

The walk was uneventful to Kisame, it was a nice enough day if you were someone who enjoyed sunshine and clear skies, but Kisame wasn't really that person. He thought fondly of misty, dark days and even darker, longer nights. But this was better than the desert anyway.

"Is that Itachi?" Kisame asked himself, coming to a stop as he stared out at the dock he was passing by. The Uchiha, who was leaning back on his hands with his legs off the edge, turned his head as if sensing Kisame's presence. The two exchanged a look and without words needed to be said, Kisame took the invitation and walked down to his partner.

"Kisame," Itachi greeted tonelessly. "I thought you'd eventually wander down here."

"I'd hope I'm not so predictable, what gave it away?" Kisame watched the corners of Itachi's mouth tilt in a slight smile.

"You've been looking a little thirsty for a few days now," a harsh laugh left Kisame. It was always nice to catch a glimpse of Itachi's dry sense of humor, Kisame was sure it was something only shared between them and it said a lot about their partnership in his mind.

"We spend far too much time together," Kisame shook his head as he pulled the bag from his back. He held it on his lap and opened it up, pulling out the onigiri he'd prepared and his book along with it. Itachi looked over, interested.

"What book are you reading now?" He gingerly picked it up from where Kisame had set it on the peer.

"Just some outdated ideas on peace and war, it's amusing really." Kisame smirked as Itachi brought the book up a little closer to his face. It was a subtle move that would have been overlooked by anyone else, but Kisame liked to think he knew enough about Itachi to see right through the movement. "I won't tell anyone you know, I haven't since I found out." He bit into an onigiri and shut his eyes, listening to the lapping of water up against the legs of the dock. "I really think you might like this one though, suits you more than it does me."

Itachi gave an amused hum, "fair enough." He unzipped his pouch and pulled his glasses out. "Just a few pages at least."

"Want one?" Kisame asked, holding out the container of food he'd prepared. Itachi's eyes didn't leave the page as he picked one up from the bunch.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."


	2. Hidan and Kakuzu

Hidan and Kakuzu

* * *

"So, like I was saying, around this time of year, particularly this exact month, it's really the best time to start planting all your vegetables. And wouldn't it be nice to have a constant supply of fresh produce? I also think it would really brighten this place up, I mean look at it, it's so dreeeary." Tobi had been talking about gardening for the last twenty minutes, Hidan barely even remembered how it started or better yet, when the guy had developed an interest for gardening in the first place. Hidan moaned loudly and put his head to the table. Tobi however didn't seem to notice his audience had stopped listening.

Hidan had woken up in a good mood that day, which was something that didn't happen as often as he'd like. It was this damn organization, he thought, a bunch of god-awful heretics that made it their mission to ruin the joy in his life as much as possible. He'd swear on that. He lifted his silver head only slightly, glaring at his partner still seated on the couch. Kakuzu, always yelling and stabbing and swearing. The greedy bastard. Why, of all people, did he have to be stuck with him. Despite his efforts, Tobi's voice filtered back in and he dropped his head back against the table with a thud.

Hidan had already showered and gotten ready for the day, hoping that by the time he had finished with everything, he'd be on to something more productive. But all that had happened so far was Tobi deciding Hidan was worth talking at for an hour. Days off like these were always the same, lie around and eat, head off to the locals and find a sacrifice, study the holy book for a good hour or two. Only problem was they had very little food, Pain had made quite a point to say that they shouldn't draw attention to themselves, and he knew the holy book inside and out and, Jashin blessed, was kind of getting sick of it. He wished he had more hobbies at times, though before he'd agreed to join the Akatsuki his primary hobbies had been killing and preaching, but that wasn't so much a hobby as it was an obligation.

He was a little hesitant to bring it up, as Kakuzu was still quietly fuming in his little corner from their regular morning argument, but he had all the intentions of following Kakuzu out whenever he chose to leave. He wouldn't be too happy about it, but Hidan wasn't exactly thrilled about it either. It just so happened that Kakuzu had special privileges the other Akatsuki members did not. Specifically, when it came to killing. He must have had arrangements with Pain because whenever their leader instructed they lay low for a while Kakuzu carried on with his pursuits. It was the money, always about the money with these people. But for Hidan, it remained the same. It was about the will of Jashin and if that meant following around that treacherous heathen to do his bidding, then so be it.

He looked up as Tobi stopped talking to him and began addressing someone else. When he saw Deidara standing there with Sasori by his side, Hidan sourly looked away. He was still mad at the kid for taking Kakuzu's side earlier that morning. Not that it had been the first time, he was beginning to suspect Deidara just liked to stir up trouble and had decided that being on Kakuzu's good side was infinitely better than being on his bad side. Hidan would have to agree, but he still didn't like that Deidara seemed to underestimate him so easily. He slumped back in his chair as Sasori and Deidara left and directed his sights to Kakuzu.

As if sensing the stare, Kakuzu slowly turned to look at Hidan, narrowing his dark eyes. "What do you want?" He said lowly. Hidan shrugged.

"Just waiting."

"For what?"

"For you to hurry up and get on with it."

Kakuzu narrowed his eyes and shut his book. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean," Hidan drawled. "I'm waiting for you to head out and go money grubbing so that I can join you and maybe get a few kills in."

Kakuzu didn't speak for a moment, he merely stared over at his partner, curious as to where Hidan got the audacity to so carelessly invite himself along. It was Kakuzu's day off too and the last thing he wanted was to spend it with that loudmouth. He stood up and tucked the book back into his hip pouch. "No," he said firmly before walking back to his room.

"No? What do you mean no?" Hidan snapped. Kakuzu acted as if he hadn't heard the question as he disappeared behind the corner. With a growl, Hidan pushed his chair back and stomped off after the other. His hand caught Kakuzu's door before it closed and Kakuzu slowly turned back around, wondering if his day was going to begin with an attempted murder instead of end with one.

"Hidan…" Kakuzu said warningly. Per usual, Hidan ignored it.

"Look, I don't exactly want to spend my whole day with you either-"

"Then don't."

"But," Hidan continued louder. "I know that you've got some sort of special deal with whatshisname that lets you go off and do whatever you please. If I go off by myself and do what I want, I'm gonna get my ass reamed." His tone shifted to something more akin to begging. "As much as I'm sure you'd like to see that, I hope you'll find it in one of your hearts to let me benefit from your perks. Seriously Kakuzu, I can't stay in this goddamn place all day."

Kakuzu continued to ignore him as he strapped a belt to his waist and pulled his cloak on. Hidan watched, waiting for him to respond, but the other seemed to have no intention of doing that. When he was finished collecting his things, he walked past Hidan and down the hall. Aggravated, Hidan turned to throw an insult. Before he could snap something back however, the taller man came to a stop and inclined his head towards his shoulder.

"Are you coming or not? And close my door."

It took Hidan a moment to collect himself but pleased that he had gotten his way after all, he obediently shut the door and followed Kakuzu as he left the hideout.

The two walked in silence, as they most often did. Every so often Hidan would turn a curious eye over to his partner, the latter never once acknowledging him. And as usual, Hidan was the first to break the comfortable quiet that had settled over them. "So, who is it you're out looking for anyways? This isn't a shinobi village."

Kakuzu slid his eyes over to his partner. He had been feeling generous when he had allowed Hidan to come with him, mostly because if Hidan didn't get his kills in now then Kakuzu would only have to hear about it later. He intended to use this against Hidan should he ever bring up how Kakuzu never helped him out, which he would, sooner rather than later. "He's not a shinobi any longer, retired ten years ago and moved here. Very valuable."

"An old man, huh? You haven't any shame, do you?" Not that Hidan was one to talk, but Hidan had good reasons for doing what he did. Kakuzu was just greedy.

"Not when it comes to profit, no." But Hidan already knew this. "How long do you plan on following me for?"

Hidan sniffed and looked around. Truth was, he didn't know. He hadn't scoped out the village and had no idea where to even begin to look for someone isolated enough to take without anyone else noticing. He figured he'd know when he saw it. "Just a bit more, I guess." He lied, and Kakuzu knew it.

"The man I'm taking in lives on the outskirts of the village, if you can refrain from making a scene you can use him for your ritual." Hidan looked over suspiciously.

"You just don't want to do the work," he accused. Though the offer was tempting, Hidan found Kakuzu's sudden kindness (if it could even be called that) concerning.

Kakuzu gave a low growl, "Is that a yes or a no?"

The silver man adjusted the scythe on his back and huffed. "Sure, I'll do it. Thanks, I guess."

"Fine. Now don't say another word until we get there, I've heard enough out of you to last me the day." Hidan bit back a retort and looked off sullenly instead. Even he knew where the limit lay.

Hidan had lost track of how many roads like this one he had walked side by side with Kakuzu. Each one was the same, bicker and silence. Hidan could count on one hand the number of times they'd had an actual conversation and even then, they never lasted very long. It was no secret that the two didn't like each other, but Hidan couldn't deny that out of everyone in the Akatsuki, he respected Kakuzu's fighting prowess the most. Had he the choice to get a different partner, he'd probably decline. Not that he'd ever let anyone know this about him, he knew without a doubt his partner didn't return the sentiment. Hidan couldn't be bothered by that though, Kakuzu didn't need anyone, and in many ways that deserved respect too.

Lost in thought, Hidan barely noticed that they'd been walking for two hours. The entire scenery had changed, they were walking up a hill that was dotted with small houses, overlooking the heart of the village. "Is that the place?" Hidan pointed to the peak of the hill where a shabby little place stood.

"Yes, and like I said, don't make a scene. He does have neighbors."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." The closer they drew to the house, the hotter Hidan's blood ran. He could do this for the rest of his life, it was that good. They walked up the steps and Hidan knocked on the door. Kakuzu stayed back, watching as his partner forced his way into the house once the door opened and slammed it behind him. The noisy animal.

Like most of his rituals, Kakuzu knew Hidan was going to take far too long to finish the job. There was no reason not to get comfortable. He sat himself on the stoop and looked over at the small village, a familiar chorus of struggle and pain drifting from the open window. That idiot, he never listened.


	3. Sasori and Deidara

Sasori and Deidara

* * *

Deidara could sleep another hundred years, or at least that's what his body was telling him. He often felt like he was well beyond his years, being the youngest member of the Akatsuki might have gone to his head a little bit, but really, what other explanation was there? It seemed his body was bound to follow that sentiment as well, all these aches and pains, what a damn trouble they all were. He had hoped that forcing himself out of bed would help him find his energy, but slumped on the ratty old thing they were calling a couch, he could feel his eyes growing heavy again. Thankfully, there was an idiot rambling on across the room to keep him awake. A very loud, obnoxious, idiot and even worse, he was sitting next to the Uchiha, too cool to even reply to the said idiot. It all bothered him.

"God dammit Hidan, I can't concentrate when your mouth is moving. Don't you ever stop." Kakuzu snapped, effectively cutting Hidan off. Deidara could feel himself becoming more alert, he always did enjoy watching these two go at it.

Hidan turned in his chair and shot Kakuzu a dirty look. "If you want to be somewhere quiet, maybe you should go somewhere quiet. Like your room." Deidara looked back at Kakuzu, anticipating a blow up.

"It was quiet before you showed up," the accountant replied hotly.

"Newsflash asshole, it's morning, people are going to be making noise." Hidan stuffed another portion of rice into his mouth, the flat annoyed look never leaving his face.

"Tch, you're the only noise I've heard so far," Deidara interjected matter-of-factly. At this point, Itachi stood up and washed his dishes, leaving the room with a cool air of disinterest. Deidara watched him go, irked at his very presence.

He did a lot of that around Itachi.

"Hey! No one asked you, you little shit!" Hidan yelled at Deidara and Kakuzu snapped his book shut and stood. Deidara had already stopped listening, and by the time Kakuzu started making death threats, the blonde had already stood up and was leaving the room.

The hallway was shaped like an L and Deidara's room sat at the corner of the bend. He walked past his room and turned the corner, heading towards the door at the very end of the hall instead. He rapped his knuckle against the door. "I'm coming in, yeah?" He turned the knob and was immediately met with a stern glare.

"I didn't say you could come in," Sasori grumbled from his desk. Wood shavings, screws, and drawn out plans were strewed across the surface. Per usual, he'd been working through the night.

"You wouldn't have said yes anyways, what's it matter?" Deidara sat on Sasori's bed, bouncing lightly to test the quality of the mattress. He frowned. "Hey, why do you get the nicer bed? You don't even use it."

"Hmph," Sasori turned from Deidara and resumed rubbing what looked like an arm with sandpaper. "Take that up with Pain, not me. Why are you in here?" Deidara yawned and fell back against the bed.

"I need to go into town to get more clay, just came to see if you needed anything while I was out."

"Actually, I do." Sasori didn't necessarily want to go with Deidara but he was reaching the limits of what he could work on with his current supply of materials. "But I'll come with you. I wouldn't trust you to know what to get." Deidara scoffed at this.

"I could go into any hardware store and get you enough stuff to make a hundred more puppets. Real art is made with _art supplies_ , not the same materials used to make a cabinet." Deidara couldn't help but grin, he could practically feel the waves of irritation rolling off Sasori.

"Are you trying to piss me off?" Sasori snapped, turning in his chair to glower at the younger boy.

"Relax," Deidara sat back up and put his hands up in surrender. "It was just a joke, yeah?" One of the mouths on Deidara's palm smacked its lips and grinned and Sasori turned back around, having seen enough of that for one day.

"Well get out. You can come get me when you're ready to leave. And go fix yourself, you look like a mess." He said, referring to Deidara's sleep crumpled clothes and hair. Sasori returned to his work and Deidara stood and walked towards the door.

"I'll be back in two hours when the stores open. Who knows, maybe we can buy something that'll give you a sense of humor too." He managed to slip out the door just in time to avoid one of Sasori's senbon being angrily thrown at him. Laughing to himself, he lazily strutted back to his own room, that just never got old.

Deidara took his time getting ready, or rather, moved as fast as he could make himself go. It was one thing to be heading off towards a mission, the adrenaline rush he still felt every time they went somewhere new where he could sample his latest creations was enough to drive him out of bed in an instant. But on days like this, aimless days spent cooped up inside of a miserable looking stone cave, it was hard to find the motivation to be productive. It was nearly 9:30 when he finished everything, from showering to cleaning up his room to making a list of all the things he needed to buy and lastly counting his money.

Deidara entered Sasori's room this time without knocking. "I was thinking," he started. "I don't think it'd be a very good idea to go out in Hiruko."

"Why's that?" Sasori asked without looking up from the fine chiseling he was doing to a finger.

"Leader did say it was important to lay low and something tells me Hiruko wouldn't blend in very well," he explained flatly. Sasori grunted in return but felt that Deidara made a fair point. Not that he would tell the blonde that.

"I wasn't planning on it anyways," he replied stiffly and Deidara shot him a doubtful glare. "Let's go, I still have a lot of work to do." He put his tools down and then stood and shrugged his cloak over his shoulders, following Deidara out of the room. Deidara had opted to leave his cloak behind as he only ever wore it on a had-to basis.

The pair walked into the common area. Kakuzu had returned to his book and Hidan looked bored senseless as Tobi talked about his usual nonsense from where he sat on the counter. The masked man turned his attention towards the two as they passed through.

"Where are you guys headed?" He asked, Deidara felt a twitch of irritation pass through him and he refused to look over as he answered.

"None of your business."

"Are you headed out to the shops? I need to go too, how about-" Deidara did look over this time, trying to put enough animosity into his expression that Tobi would take the hint. While the man stopped talking, he looked as if he was still expecting a response.

"Not a chance in hell," Deidara said coldly. Tobi's shoulders slumped a bit and out of the wall emerged Zetsu.

" _What do you need to get at the store?"_ White Zetsu asked. Tobi brightened up and turned his attention towards the creature. Deidara didn't bother tying the exchange up, instead he hurried forward after the redhead that had so easily left him behind.

Sasori and Deidara had been partners now for almost five years and in that time their partnership had developed into something wholly unique. Neither one liked to label it, in Sasori's mind they certainly weren't friends. Even to Deidara, calling Sasori a friend felt excessive, rather, they were two very similar people at their core and in that they had found a common ground to rest upon. It hadn't always been so easy though, in the first year of their partnership, Sasori had tried to kill Deidara three times, almost always in reaction to Deidara's sharp, childish tongue. By the second year, Sasori had grown to nearly recognize the boy as his subordinate, if only because Deidara proved much harder to kill than he would have thought and he generally gave credit where credit was due. In their third year, Deidara had been badly wounded on a mission gone wrong and as he bled and grew paler by the second, instead of letting him die, Sasori healed him. If only to get a ride back home, he told himself and eventually Deidara as well when he'd asked. Their fourth year was the year of intelligent conversation. In this time Sasori felt that Deidara had matured (some) and they were able to spend more time conversing than bickering. Their conversations were deep and telling, they talked about the war and the things it had taught them, about life both fleeting and eternal, about things that made Sasori see Deidara as more than a petulant child and Deidara, who started to see Sasori as someone who may have deserved a little respect.

Now, in their fifth year, they had settling into a comfortable sort of comradery where in battle they fell in sync, like a collaboration of art styles that wound up creating a new form of design. Outside of battle, Deidara tested less and Sasori listened more. It was good enough for them anyways.

"This place is nice, yeah?" Deidara broke the silence as he looked around happily. Their last hideout had been in what should have been called the land of mud and dead brush, Deidara had found the scenery there crippling to his creativity. There was nothing to be inspired by, just twenty different shades of brown and muck in every direction. This was much better.

Sasori kept stiff and didn't bother admiring the view. "It's a place, sure."

"I don't know, there's a certain quaint aesthetic to this village. These small little places are so outside of our own world, you know?"

"It's battered and old, practically falling apart. I'm not seeing the appeal."

Deidara clicked his tongue. "Well of course you don't, you don't consider anything outside of your own craft something to be admired. But isn't that one of the most compelling things about art? It's variety?"

Sasori looked around as they walked through the village square. The houses were all outdated, with their slanting poorly crafted roofs and their half-maintained yards strewn with children's toys and gardening tools. The businesses weren't much better, with walls covered in years of fading advertisements and solicitations. Even the people that toddled about looked as put together as their buildings. He frowned. "You're saying that you would consider this place a work of art? Tch, typically tasteless."

"Hmm, art is subjective after all."

"Says the artist who hasn't uncovered the true meaning of the word. Art, in definition, is static."

Deidara smirked and placed his arms behind his head, his midriff peeking out from beneath his shirt. "What a predictable, close-minded response. If art truly was static, how would we progress?"

"It's not about the process behind the art, brat." Sasori retorted. "If you were listening, I was speaking about art in its essence. We progress as artists through skill and intent to create something better than we did last time, the definition however remains the same. Art is static, and in that way, art is everlasting. The permanence of something created, something that can withstand the test and wear of time is above just mere craft. It's almost godlike at that point, something beyond even ourselves."

Deidara thought about this for a moment. "Hmm, that's quite poetic. But still, I disagree. Creation has always been counterbalanced with decay. Such is everything," he gave a pointed look at Sasori's wooden self. "Even you, master. Take into consideration this, if you create something with significance, a masterpiece if you will, once you're gone and your art has outlived you, the significance behind it will die when you do. At that point, it's just old clutter. Unappreciated by those who can't see the very intent you speak of. Wouldn't you agree?"

Sasori smirked, "I can see where you're coming from, but I think you may be overlooking that as an artist and as a work of art myself, I don't intend to have my pieces outlive me. I intend to live by them."

"You'll get bored eventually," Deidara sighed.

"I don't believe I will," Sasori shook his head and looked up at the sky, wide and blue. "That's the thing about life, unlike art, it's anything but static."

While Sasori liked to make a show about how much he disliked such back and forth conversations, Deidara knew that Sasori talked to him more than anyone else. These conversations were something private, maybe even profound if he had wanted to dissect Sasori's character further. He might have found them aggravating, but he always participated. Nobody was that stubborn, he had to enjoy it to some degree.

Deidara on the other hand loved when they spoke, whether it be in discussion or disagreement it didn't matter. It was nice just finally having someone to talk to.

The two made it to the art supply shop and both went separate directions. While Deidara poked around at various clays, Sasori sifted through paint samples and blade sharpeners. When they had what they needed, they paid and left.

"I have a proposition for you," Sasori said as they strolled back into the forest. Deidara looked over, pleasantly surprised. "With all this free time, I thought I'd start a new project. All I'm missing is the body. There's a smaller island just west of here with a specimen I'm interested in, care to come along?" He turned his brown eyes to his partner and smirked. "Unless you're determined to listen to your dear Leader-sama and stay low, that is." The blonde grinned wide.

"I thought you'd never ask."


End file.
